


At The Beginning

by SHolmes2000



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Fighting, Gen, New kids, OCs - Freeform, Post Great War, Swearing, Will update tags throughout, beach parties, drugged, high schoolers, in general, only in first chp, revisited old ideas
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-11
Updated: 2019-02-15
Packaged: 2019-10-26 08:10:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17742194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SHolmes2000/pseuds/SHolmes2000
Summary: Rosie just wanted to read her astronomy book. But now, she's waist deep in a life she never knew she was a part of, uncovering old secrets, winding through a centuries-old maze, and thrown into a fight for her own life against something she hasn't even had three days to fathom. With her best friend, Mia, and a stranger that has a mystery entanglement with her past, Devin, she has to learn to trust herself, her instincts, and those around her.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> I first began this story almost 8 years ago. I am on just now getting around to revisiting it and revising it. This is a story based around my very first OC's, based on a 12-year-old's ideas and original storytelling. I welcome constructive criticism. Please tell me if you find any mistakes, as I don't edit bc I prefer to die like a man. Come talk to me through the comments or on my Tumblr at the username runningtowardsspace or just using the link below.
> 
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/runningtowardsspace

Chapter One

_We were strangers, starting out on a journey_

_Never dreaming, what we'd have to go through_

_Now here we are, I'm suddenly standing_

_At the beginning with you_

           When telling stories, they always tell you to start from the beginning. But where do you begin when you are so unsure of where the story starts? Each perspective brings a new starting point, and a new face, and a new side to take. The audience can’t be sure who to trust when beginning the story, isn’t sure whose side to take, isn’t sure who to trust. And it is up to the author to chose where to best start this to show the audience the clearest truth of their fight, their conflict. Ebony would begin when we found her, Mia would begin upon the invitation that started this all, Devin would start from his beginning. So, given this thought process, let me begin the story in the only position I can. Mine.

 

           Mia, my best friend was trying her best to convince me to go to a party. For some background, her father’s tech company that had originally brought him over from India had gotten so much traction, that his designs were bought by a major computer company, Dell, and they had brought him in as one of their top designers. Although Mia was born into this and brought up as her father’s little princess, she had one of the biggest hearts in this world. Her background couldn’t even come close to trying to dim her compassion. In fact, her standing up to some kids bullying me, the new kid at the time, was the reason we became friends.

           You know those jokes about the only reason introverts have friends is because of the internet or an extrovert adopted them? Mia was my extrovert adopter. And at that moment, she was decidedly going to pull me out from behind my monitor and books to a beach party whether I liked it or not. “I’m not a party person,” I said simply.

           “That’s the great thing of being on the beach! You won’t have to socialize. Besides, you love swimming. And it’s _hot._ It’ll do you good.” She argued.

           “It’s _Texas!_ Of course it’s hot! And everyone will be drunk, and I don’t want to have to take care of them or deal with their vomit.”

           “You won’t be dealing with vomit if you don’t go near them.”

           “I won’t deal with vomit if I don’t go at all in the first place,” I grumbled, sitting up. Mia’s long black hair wound around her as she spun around in a new shirt. She gave me a glare in the mirror as she caught my eye and began digging around her dresser drawer.

           When she stood up, she threw me a shirt and some shorts, “You’re going. I already have permission from your parents and my own. We will probably be coming back here afterward anyway.”

           I whined like a toddler as her dad came in. “Just checking in on you guys!” He said.

           “Sir, can you please tell your daughter it’s a bad idea to go to this party?” I begged.

           “No can do, Rosie. As much of an introvert I am, I would still say to go. It’s the end of your junior year. Enjoy it.” He said, shaking his head at me.

           “Thanks, dad,” Mia said from her position at the bathroom sink across the hall. He gave her a small salute and made his leave, explaining that he was going to head to work, kissed her on the head, and walked out. On the way to the party, she chided me for reading my astronomy textbook on my phone in the car. “We still have until graduation until it makes sense to even get ahead for our first college semester.”

           “But I want to learn the more important constellations before I get into that classroom setting, and what better place than to do it at the lake!” I exclaimed.

           She laughed, shaking her head, and pulled into the parking space. “I will never understand your enthusiasm for the stars. Or schooling.” She said. After the one last check of the mirror and her makeup, she was ready to go. She was finally done chiding me as we got out of the car and closer to the group of people.

           I pulled on her arm as I took off my converse and stuffed my socks into the front of the shoe. Leaning back up, I whispered in her ear, “please be safe. Let me know if something feels wrong.” Girl code necessitates us being this candid with each other and there have been too many tries of these incidents in the past around us for either of us to take this lightly.

           She nodded and said wordlessly to me, “You too.”

           When the host of the party caught a view of us, he got up from the beach chair and yelled over the music, “You made it!” at Mia. She laughed and nodded. He went in for a hug and it was awkward to watch, especially since Mia was not expecting it.

           I shifted uncomfortably next to her and she turned to me and introduced us, “Ro, this is Dylan from Gov. Dylan, this is my best friend, Rose.” He gave me a once over like I was another girl at his disposal. I reached out to shake his hand. When he shook back, it shocked my skin. His eyes were darker than before and the contrast with his sandy hair surprised me at first. I chalked it up to my imagination and forced a smile.

           I left those two talking about the latest test in their shared class. Another boy in blue swim trunks and bright bold hair caught my eye. He looked familiar but I couldn’t quite place him. I pushed the thought out of my head too and reached into the cooler. I had finally found the _Sprite_ and dug it out from the bottom of the cooler. When I looked up from closing the cooler door, I found the boy that was just sitting down in front of me. I jumped. I clutched at my heart as I laughed at myself. “God, you scared the living daylights out of me.” I joked. He smiled and chuckled.

           “Hi. Sorry for scaring you.” He said. I waved. He cocked an eyebrow up and chuckled again. “Sorry. I’m Deven.” He held out his hand. I passed my shoes over to the hand holding my drink and reciprocated the handshake.

           “Rose. You look familiar. Do I know you?” I asked.

           He puffed out his chest and said, “Well, I _am_ on the football team.”

           I shook my head, “Nope don’t go to the games. Guess I’ve just seen you around.” He shrugged. “Anyway,” I said as my brain refocused on my surroundings, “I guess I’ll be seeing you.” I waved as I walked away.

           “Guess so.” He said, barely loud enough for me to hear over the music. I turned and walked towards the dock, shaking these weird encounters from my head. The wood creaked under me as I strode down the dock, as careful as possible to avoid getting splinters in my feet. Sitting on the edge, my feet dangled above the water, only close enough for my toes to send ripples out onto the lake’s surface. The sun met the horizon across the lake and began descending, turning the lake a beautiful red on the surface. I took a few photos of the sunset. My toes continued to bob in and out of the water as I reviewed the photos to send to Mia and my older sister. A black blob above the sky caught my eye, by my attention was quickly stolen as I felt something grab my foot.

           Looking up from my phone, I met my eyes with a young girl under the water. She waved at me and beckoned me to jump in. She didn’t seem like she was drowning, but I was intrigued. I leaned forward to find more out about what I thought was this figment of my imagination, but instead, I was alerted to the creaking of wood coming from behind me. I turned to look, and it was Devin. His shoes were in his hands and his tank top* (*read muscle shirt) was drenched. I waved and when I turned back to the girl, she was gone. Another thing to chalked up to my imagination that night. Probably due to whatever they were smoking or burning at the party.

           “What are you doing over here? You know, the party is over there, little wallflower,” he joked. I rolled my eyes.

           “Why else do you think I’m over here?” I asked. He shrugged again and sat down next to me.

           “Actually, I’m pretty new here, so I wouldn’t know if it was just some weird Texas thing or whatnot.” That piqued my interest.

           “Where did you come from?” I asked.  The music grew louder somehow, and the base rippled the water under my feet.

           “I’ve moved around a lot. I was born in Colorado, though. In Boulder.” He searched my eyes looking for something, but I didn’t know what.

           “That's cool. I used to live there, too, actually. My dad was stationed at Peterson in Colorado Springs, but we lived closer to his day job in Boulder.” I looked past him at the shore to check on Mia. She was stumbling and swaying and Dylan was getting a little too handsy with her. I had started to say something, but I lost my train of thought as I watched him clutch her close and I saw her eyes grow wide in fear.

           I jumped up and ran to my friend. I ripped her out of his grasp. I grabbed the drink from her hand and tasted it. The salty taste that wasn’t normally present in my experience of any beer told me that my gut reaction wasn’t wrong. He turned to confront me when Devin stepped in between us and held him back.

           “Mia, are you okay?”

           “Ro-ie, Posssie, I do-’t fell su- go-t” she slurred and mixed up her words and tried to correct herself and keep talking. I shushed her and nodded my understanding. Her eyes looked for comfort in mine. I felt a tug in my stomach as my anger grew. I handed her to Devin, for some reason trusting him when his friend had done this to her. He seemed angry at Dylan, too, in my defense. And it was like an instinct to trust him.

           I gathered my courage and my breath as I stood, my back on Dylan. “You see,” I began, “when using date rape drugs, one of the most common leaves a salty taste to the drink.” I felt him approach closer to me and as soon as he grabbed at my shoulder to try and turn me around and force me to listen to his denial, I anchored my foot into the uneven sand and spun, my fist in front of me and making an ear-splitting contact with the villain’s nose. He fell back, almost losing balance as his hand flew to his face to check the damage. Gold liquid wet his fingers as he pulled them away and laughed at my surprise. Static crackled overhead as his legs became a small tornado… storm thing. His laugh sent fear down my spine as I gasped at the sand whipping into my face and hair, small cuts left in the tiny graduals’ wake.

           “Give me her, mortal. She is the one I have been told to retrieve.” Devin looked concerned, Mia was scared and confused. I, on the other hand, couldn’t be bothered to care. He tried to drug my best friend. I tried to swing at him again, but he grabbed my fist as it swung towards him and spun me around, using my own arm to trap me. “Do not test me, child.” His voice turned into a sound like a small clap of thunder.

           “Don't drug people, you asshole.” I elbowed what I approximated was his stomach. He doubled over and lost his grip. When he regained his composure, he looked at me and his eyes darkened again. Something tugged at my gut again, this time most insistent. Before he could get his threat out or carry out the last one, I heard waves roared in my ears. He lost his focus on me and looked behind me. I went in for one last attack. Then, everything crashed.

           Dylan disintegrated into some kind of gold dust. The water that was suddenly at my feet washed him out into the manmade lake and my knees fell from beneath me. Before I could land on the sand, I was caught. I heard a whistled and my now wet hair was thrown into my face and darkened my already blurred vision as there was a sweeping wind behind me. When my eyes finally regained focus, I saw I was being set down next to what appeared to be a Pegasus. Devin went to collect the frail figure of my best friend.

           “Don’t just stand there! Get on his back! There’ll be more coming!” he shouted at me. I turned and tried to hop onto its back. But I couldn’t do it, I was just barely too short. The horse leaned down a little lower as I tried again. Mia was thrown on in front of me. Devin ordered, “Go! Be careful! I’ll be right behind you.”

           “I don’t know how to control this thing!” I replied. The horse neighed and stomped its foot. **_Hey! Watch it! He wasn’t talking to you!_**  I yelped as the words flooded my mind. Devin shooed the horse in a ‘go on’ motion and the wings began to lift off.

           Mia slumped into me, out like a light. I weaved my arms under hers to steady here and pulled into the horse’s mane to keep us on its back. **_Careful! That hurts, Boss!_** came in again.

           “Is that you?” I asked the flying horse as I let go of its hair. It seemed to nod. “Sorry. Who are you? _What_ are you?” I prodded.

**_Blackjack, miss. You can rest now. It’s a long way to the camp, Boss._ **

           I nodded, not really understanding but letting my exhaustion rush over me. For the first time in a while, I slept unperturbed by nightmares. Or dreams at all.

 

           I only awoke as Blackjack began the descent downward. As I looked beneath me, I saw a crystal-clear lake, much bigger and less manmade appearing than the one we had just left, and forested rolling hills surrounding it. A little way away, there seemed to be a large property filled with cabins like a summer campsite in the middle of nowhere. He landed on the shore and I jumped off. “Thank you,” I whispered as I shook Mia awake and helped her down. The horse only looked at me, wink, then shook his head and walked off.

           I steadied her and I, then looked up to see a group of kids surrounding us. Most of them were wearing orange shirts with the words ‘Camp Half-Blood’ written in black on the front. I felt the eyes more than I saw them. It seemed liked people were really seeing me for once. A boy in this shirt stepped forward and offered to take the groaning Mia off my hands. I felt the protectiveness grasp my gut, but he lowered himself in a sign of peace and constructed his posture in a way to show that he meant no harm. I nodded after a while and he quickly scooped her up.

           There was a shuffling in the crowd as a girl with curly blond hair stepped forward. She exuded an air of command. “Pollux, please take her to the medical tent and see if it's just a hangover. If not, please ask Will to help get the drugs out of her system.” The boy holding Mia nodded and left toward the campgrounds, carrying her in his arms. The girl then singled in on me. Her eyes were scanning me, not without compassion but with a sense of caution.

           A swooping sound came from behind me and then Devin’s voice, “Annabeth. She’s with me.” She glared at him behind me, accusatory. “Then I take it you’ll be helping get her set up?” I didn’t look behind me, but instead lowered my gaze to the sand in front of me. I assume he nodded because she lowered her voice as she came closer and asked, “Are you sure she’s one of us?” Whatever the answer was, she seemed satisfied. “Welcome.” She said quietly to me.

_Thank you,_ I mouthed wordlessly to her. Devin stepped next to me and threw his arm around my shoulders. I relaxed and looked up.

           “So, Miss Rose. Are you ready for the grand tour?” He grinned and gestured dramatically to the grounds in front of me.


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

“How have you not been sued or shut down? Because I’m pretty sure that a fucking lava rock climbing wall breaks several safety regulations.” I exclaimed as we watched a competition on said climbing wall and a few kids almost fell.

“No one gets permanently hurt. Usually. And we’ve covered ourselves. Mortals can’t see us anyway. We have good medics and these kids have been through so much worse…especially lately. We work the kids up to this level, so no one is out of their league.” Deven answered blankly and shrugged.

“I have… so many questions with what you just said. A- Mortals? B- Usually? C—”

He cut me off, “And hearing that is my signal that we need to head to the Big House. Mr. D wants to see you. He’ll have more answers for you anyway.” He guided me to turn around with his hand on the small of my back. He showed me through the cabin area, introducing me to a few kids that were outside of theirs. Each cabin was dedicated to its own Greek God, with many similarities in their architecture to the original Greeks. But each cabin had seemed to put their own spin on things. One had barbed wire and landmines around it. Another was covered in a garden. Like actually covered.

We turned to left and was met with a house that looked like it belonged in a movie about the Civil War. A wrap-around porch, two stories at least, peeling blue paint. Two men were on the front porch playing a card game. Deven introduced me but the two men were too intrigued in their game of Pinochle since it was nearing its end. I was, too. I couldn’t quite remember the rules. I heard Deven talking to the man in the wheelchair on my right, but I wasn’t too interested in their words. I heard my name and Deven waved his hand in front of my face to get my attention.

I refocused, “Yes?”

Deven looked exasperated. “Can you introduce yourself to these two men, Rose?”

“My name is Rose Waters,” I said, a little annoyed to be broken from my focus on their game. I shook the men’s hands as they introduced themselves to me. Mr. D was on my left, seemed to be annoyed by children in general. Chiron was the man on my left and was sitting in a wheelchair with a blanket covering his legs.

“Rose, can you tell me your parents' names?” Chiron asked.

“Which ones?” I joked. They seemed confused. “I have my mom, Emily, and my step-dad, Derek. Then my dad, Brandon, and my step-mom, Alyssa.”

“So, you have two birth parents?” Mr. D looked at Deven accusingly.

“Doesn’t everyone?”

“Deven, she isn’t one of us. Please take her out of here.”

“Sir,” Deven started, “you don’t understand. We were attacked by an _anemoi thuellai._ She _disintegrated_ it, after punching it, _twice_. She isn’t mortal.”

The looks on the adults’ faces were hilarious: surprise and confusion were written as plain as day on them. “Then how?” Chiron asked. It was then that my phone began to ring, and loudly.

I pulled it out of my back pocket, “Sorry, its my mom. I’ll be right back.” I went to answer it but it was snatched from my hand by Deven as I tried to take the call. “Hey—”

“Hello Mrs. Waters, this is Deven. Yes, that Deven. Oh? Sorry I didn’t realize you remarried. So, Mrs. Thomas? Wonderful! Yes ma’am, my mom is doing okay. Rose is fine, so is Mia. Yes ma’am, I will tell her. Chiron needs to talk to you. Yes ma’am. It was nice hearing from you, too. Okay. Okay. Here he is.” Said Deven as he quickly tried to get off the phone. Annoyed, I glared at him after he passed the phone off. He shrugged as that were an apology.

He tried to lead me away, but I didn’t want to. “Rose, please.” He whispered. Chiron was on the phone listening to my mother and asking odd questions. I started to tear up. I was so lost.

“Deven, please tell me what is going on? How do you know my mother? Why am I here? Where even are we? Where is Mia? Please, I don’t want a tour I want answers.” I pulled on his sleeve.

“You really don’t remember me? That I can’t help with. I can explain what else is going on. We are in Long Island, at a place called ‘Camp Half-Blood’. Mia is in the medic tent, getting treated. We can go by there once we get this sorted out.” He answered methodically and tried to hug me to calm me down.

“And what is this? What needs to be sorted out?”

“I will explain.” Answered Chiron. He went to stand up, but he didn’t move. His body sort-of elongated and kept going as he walked forward. The blanket dropped from his lap and revealed a body of a horse. That wasn’t really the weirdest thing I’ve seen all day, but still weird. He handed me back my phone and beckoned me to follow him.

 

“During the times around your consummation, your parents separated for the second time. Their marriage hadn’t been a happy one almost at all. During that time, your father had taken your older sisters with him. Your mother had gone out to drown her problems with someone else. They slept together and she snuck out of the hotel room the next morning, ashamed of herself. Your parents reconciled for the sake of your siblings and everything had been forgotten. They assumed you were your fathers when they found out she was pregnant.

“But they soon realized you weren’t when they began to notice things. She told your father wat had happened and he still wanted to raise you like his own, something very rare here, which explains our confusion. He basically adopted you, but you are not his child. You are the child of someone else.

“We do not know of whom exactly, but hopefully it will be explained tonight. You see, everyone is a child of the gods. Now I know this is probably news to you, so—”

I cut him off, “Actually not as surprising as you might think. I love my parents, but I always knew something was off in the family. Now I know what it was. Would I still be weird for me to call him my dad even if he isn’t my father?”

“Not at all,” Chiron gave me a sympathetic look. “Anyone can be a father, and let me tell you, you are luckier than most here to be raised in that environment. Not everyone can be a dad. That’s an honor.”

“Thank you,” I replied quietly. He hummed in response. We walked back to the Big House in silence.

“Until you are claimed, we will find somewhere else for you to stay.” He said when we reached the steps. “Deven, can you please take her to her friend in infirmary?”

Deven stood up from his position on the steps. “Yessir.” He turned me around again and led me back through the grounds. I stayed quiet as he introduced me to some of the campers as he guided me to a white tent in the back by the edge of the forest. We passed by two boys arguing dramatically and entered the tent to see a bunch of cots, kids my age dressed in scrubs and treating other campers, and the scent of strawberries was replaced by the overwhelming smell of sterilization, like a hospital.

“Hey there, Deven, what do we got here?” A girl in scrubs with a clipboard asked him.

“Hey Kay, its one of the newbies. Can she see her friend? Is there an empty cot near the other? Rose here probably needs her rest.” He answered as I cast my eyes downwards.

“Of course!” she turned towards me, “come with me.” She smiled brightly. Her red hair framed her freckled face. She was kind and carried on a mainly one-sided conversation with me. She led me to Mia. “She’s going to sleep of the roofies in her system, but she will be alright. We gave her some sleeping medication so she can rest and heal until dinner.”

I sat down on the empty cot next to my best friend and Kayla went to work treating the small scratches on my body and patching up my knuckles while continuing the small talk. “Would it be okay for me to stay here and sleep? I haven’t been getting much rest lately and yesterday was draining.” I asked in a small voice not wanting to disturb the campers around me. They all seemed bruised up but intrigued about Mia and me.

Kayla nodded, still smiling. “Of course!” she handed me a small snack saying it would help me to sleep. “It is just before lunch, so I can wake you up before dinner.” She suggested. I nodded in agreement, sleep already beginning to set in. She wrote something down, placed the clipboard at the foot of my cot, and urged me to rest. I listened and was asleep before my head could hit the pillow.


	3. Chapter Three

Chapter Three

           I woke up to the sound of a conch horn in the distance and Kayla sitting next to the bed between Mia and I. Mia was already awake and they were talking gleefully, laughing and joking. When they noticed I was awake, Kayla smiled at me and Mia joked, “I was wondering when you’d wake up, sleepyhead.” I rolled my eyes. Mia was always a morning person and, trust me, it is _hell_ during sleepovers.

           “Well sorry to keep you waiting, princess, but a girl can’t get her ‘beauty sleep’ when you keep her up all night during sleepovers. She has to get it in the middle of the day.” I teased. Kayla giggled at my jab and Mia rolled her eyes.

           “Well it wasn’t much of a ‘beauty sleep’ with that mess of bedhead.” Mia handed me a hair brush. I didn’t ask where she got it from as I ran it through my hair. Knowing her, she borrowed it from one of the other campers.

           “Did Kayla tell you what is going on?” I asked, pulling at a bigger knotted in my unkept hair.

           “No, Pollux got to her and explained it first.” Kayla replied with Mia nodding in agreement.

           “Isn’t it great? I can finally figure out who my mom is!” Mia replied excitedly. I pushed away my annoyance and feigned my excitement for her. She could see that something was off, but before she could ask anything about it, Kayla told us that it was probably best for us to go eat first and pushed us out of the tent.

           “So,” came a voice from behind me, “She finally let you leave.” We turned and saw Deven walking up to us. “Its been ten minutes since the conch horn had signaled dinner and I was supposed to walk you guys to the pavilion.”

           “What, are you the official tour guide?” I rolled my eyes at his exasperation.

           “Not for the entire camp, only for you two. I was the one that brought you guys in after all. Until you are claimed, you both are my responsibility.” He puffed his chest out at his rebuttal. Both of Mia and I rolled our eyes as Deven threw his arms around our shoulders, “Now, ladies, I believe it is past time for dinner. Shall we?”

 

           The scent of strawberries was beginning to make my mouth water and my stomach grumble. The pavilion was beautiful, especially as the sun began to set. It was filled with wooden picnic tables which were filled with kids of almost every age.

           A bowl that filled itself with soup was pushed into my hands along with a goblet that filled itself with a clear red soda. “Soup?” I asked as I followed next to Deven with Mia on my other side.

           He shrugged, “It’s you comfort food, I guess. The plates fill with whatever you want to eat right now.” We moved up the line towards a fire. Everyone began scooping parts of their food into it. I dump a bit of the soup into it. You would normally expect the smell to be burnt and gross, but instead it smelt like the best part of everything that was placed into it. “A sacrifice for the gods.” Deven whispered. Mia and I nodded our understanding.

           Everything through dinner became a blur as I focused only on my thoughts and blanked out of the conversations around me. Mia normally covered me through times like this anyway, she likes to hold most of the attention of the discussions. Soon, when everyone was finished, I was pulled into the amphitheater. We were forced to sing the absolute worst campfire songs. Everyone was laughing and eating smores while the campfire in the middle grew with the noise and changed with the mood.

After the fire reached its peak, I watched as Chiron walked calmly to the front of the crowd and raised his arms for the attention. The noise ceased as people waited for the announcement.

“Today, we have gotten two new campers: Rose and Mia” Deven pushed us to move towards him. I prayed that the eyes stayed on him and Mia and that he didn’t do the awful ‘introduce yourself to the class’ thing, that every new kid fears.

“What are they?” a pair of twins shouted from the other side of the crowd.

Chiron shook his head, “Undetermined”. The crowd refused to stay silent at that. The kids around the twins grew unruly as they shouted about sharing their cabin again. The growing mob refused to become silent when Chiron raised his arms again.

It was only quiet again when there appeared a sign over Mia’s head. Her clothes changed into a knee length, sleeveless, white gown. Her hair was put into a braided bun on top her head and the was a couple arm cuffs on her biceps. Her sandals had changed into a pair of white ballet flats. She didn’t even notice.

She looked at me for solace when she realized the attention was on solely on her. I motioned for her to look down. She gasped as she saw the change for herself.

“One down, one to go.” A leather-clad girl shouted.

“All Hail,” Chiron shouted as he gestured to Mia and kneeled slightly, “Mia Om, Daughter of Aphrodite.” There was a moment of silence from everyone but one section of the camper that began cheering. Chiron raised his arms again and everyone became quiet once again. “Now that that has been settled, capture the flag is still planned for tomorrow night. Ares versus Athena, like usual. Now head to bed! All of you!”

Everyone filed out towards their bunks, Mia was taken by her new-found half-siblings. I stayed behind and watched. Chiron came up behind me, sensing my hesitation. “You’ll be staying in the Hermes Cabin until you’re claimed,” he directed, “it’s Cabin Nine.”

I nodded and headed to go find the cabin. When I knocked on their door, I was greeted by a group welcoming me to the camp. They gave me a bag of small things that they had snuck from the camp’s store and showed me to my temporary bunk. I laid down while they called lights out and tossed and turned waiting for sleep to over take me. I finally fell asleep, with much difficulty and I was immediately taken back to the reoccurring nightmares that have been plaguing my sleep for a few months at least.

**_I see Mia on one side of me running away from the darkness that was right on our heels. She’s holding onto my hand. There is someone else holding onto my other hand. A younger girl with dark hair. She lets go as she trips over some debris. Mia rips her hand from mine as she stops to help the child up. I keep running. I can’t stop. The darkness swallows them. I run and take a right. The crumbling stone walls around me seem to be enclosing in on me. I hear in darkness following me, a creature breathing heavily. I turn again. It is a dead end. I back into the corner as the darkness creeps closer. I hear a laugh from the darkness. I feel my tears fall down my face. The blackness swallows me._ **

I wake up in a cold sweat as I fall off the side of my bunk. I was lucky, this time, that it was on the bottom. I wipe the tears from my cheeks and went back to my mattress. This dream had made me lose so much sleep that I had begun to fall asleep in class to make up for the lost rest. My teachers were _not_ happy with me.

After a few failed attempts to fall back asleep, I gave up. My restless legs convinced me to walk around. So, I hastily made my borrow bunk and did my best to quietly leave the cabin. I snuck out successfully. From the edge of the cabin’s lawn I didn’t really know where to go. So, my legs wandered. I blanked as they took me wherever, just processing what had happened that day, my dreams, and everything I had learned about myself within the last twenty-four hours. In the end, I ended up on the lake’s shores again. It was peaceful. I decided that this was the best place to end back up. Luckily, I still had the swim suit from the failed beach party on under my clothes. I never had the chance to change with all that was going on. I threw off my t shirt and shed my shoes and shorts. Paddling out in a canoe that I found by the dock, I reached the middle of the lake. I sat back and traced the stars. I thought back to what my older sisters had taught me, about the Greek myths and the constellations that inspired them. Straight above me, I found my favorite. I raise my hand and pretended to connect the dots, tracing the girl in the sky. She held a bow and arrow, aimed and ready to fire.

The memory of my sisters and I watching an arrow shoot from her bow across the sky during the last meteor shower resurfaced and made me smile. That life that seemed so far away now. So normal. It didn’t seem like my own. I drifted in the lake until the sun began to peak over the horizon.

As I sat up to begin rowing back to shore, I caught sight of a girl under the water. Like the one at the lake back home. I leaned forward as our eyes met. A little too far, it seems. My canoe tipped over and I fell into the water.

When I looked up, the girl wasn’t alone. She and her sisters were laughing at my fall. Their hair looked like seaweed and their skin was glistening green as the sun bounced off the few scales dotting their arms. _Take a breath!_  They told me. I listened. My body tried to go against me, but my mind forced it. I was like breathing air with a humidifier nearby. The sun’s rays through the water blended with my red hair and made me look like I was part sunshine sprouting from my scalp. The girls waved at me for my attention and I swam with them. For a few minutes. They led me back to the shore and I was surprised to see that the canoe was already there. _Thank you_ I mouthed to them as they laughed and waved goodbye, disappearing into the lake’s seaweed.

I pulled myself back on shore and as I breached the surface, I heard my name being called. The sun was almost completely up now, and I met Deven’s eyes from his place on the edge of the dock. He ran over and began checking my arms and legs and my eyes for any damage. “Is everything okay?” I asked.

He stared at me like I just asked the world’s most idiotic question. “You just… you fell out of your canoe. I was passing by and I didn’t see you come up for breath. I was worried.” He continued to search me for any wounds.

“I’m fine,” I laughed and pulled my arm out of his grasp. I told him what happened. The waking up, the canoe, the girls. His eyes darted to above my head and quickly came back. I guess I still hadn’t been claimed. “We better start getting ready for the day. What do you guys even do? Kill each other?” I teased.

He shook his head, “Today, I believe we will start you on sword fighting. Which means you need a weapon. I guess there’s no better time than the present to get this ready.” He stood up and held out his hand for me. I took it.

As we walked passed the dock, I picked my clothes up and put them back on. I walked next to him in silence as he explained what the day’s schedule was. He led me to a small shed near the forest behind the cabins.

I had dried off quickly on the walk over. I noted this as he opened the shed door for me. He dug through the armory’s weapons and would pass them to me only to take them away.  I asked a few questions. Who are those girls, why was he up, so on and so on. The weapons continued to pass through my hands.

“Who’s your parent?” I asked finally.

“Catherine.” He evaded the obvious meaning.

“No, your godly parent.”

“I’m a child of– try this.” He handed me a golden ax. It slipped out of my hands, unbalanced.

“Sorry.”

He waved his handed, motioning not to apologize. “Why don’t you try and pick your own weapon, since this doesn’t really seem to be working?” he stood up and walked to just outside of the shed door.

“What am I looking for?” I shouted to him, scanning the weapons surrounding me.

“Whatever stands out.” He responded through the open door. As I turned to groan at him about how that was just so specific, something caught my eye. A sword thrown hastily in the corner, forgotten and unwanted. It wasn’t polished like the rest of them. It was dusty and scratched. I walked towards it, almost entranced.

A warmth spread through my hand as my fingers touched the hilt. As I fully picked it up, it seemed to adjust itself to me, balancing out and adjusting its length to fit me. “I think I found it.” I barely said, just a hoarse whisper falling from my lips.

I walked out and saw the blond looking at an old tree. “Do you think you could still cli—” he trailed off as he looked at the weapon in my hands. “Where did you find that?” he whispered, scared. When I didn’t answer right away, he raised his wavering voice, “Where did you find _that_?!” he shouted.

I recoiled at his raised voice, “I just… I just found it. It was just in the corner. Why?” I dropped it at the thought of some poison or some other harm on it that he was shouting about. He ran towards me and brought my focus onto him as he grabbed my shoulders.

“Rose. Rose, look at me.” When I brought my eyes to his, he continued, “You didn’t do anything wrong. We will just talk to Chiron before breakfast, okay?” He said softly trying to calm me down. I didn’t know what I could’ve possibly done wrong. I focused on his words, instead. He pulled me into a hug and a scent that I just couldn’t place flooded my nose. When I had successfully been grounded again, he let go. He offered to walk me to the Big House, but I told him I would just go back to Cabin Nine to lay down for a little while.

“Come get me before you go talk to them, okay?” I asked. He nodded. I turned back around and walked towards the cabin. When I opened the doors, everyone was still asleep. I faceplanted into my pillow and tried to remember that scent. I drifted off to the memories and dreamt of a little blond boy with gray eyes and wire glasses with coffee ice cream smeared on his face and a laugh that filled the air around it with so much joy, lifting my worries away and sending butterflies into my stomach.

I awoke to sunlight and Deven shaking my shoulder. “We need to go, Rose. They’re waiting for us.”

“They?” I asked, groggily.

“Chiron and Annabeth. And Percy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can anyone guess which sword this is?


	4. Chapter Four

Chapter Four

_No one told me I was going to find you_

_Unexpected, what you did to my heart_

_When I lost hope, you were there to remind me_

_This is the start_

           Chiron’s office in the Big House wasn’t very big. It had just enough room for a desk, two chairs, and room to walk in between them. When we walked in, one chair was already taken by two other people. They seemed to be in their early twenties. One was the girl from yesterday. Annabeth, I think her name was. She was sitting in the lap of a taller boy, he had black hair and green eyes. He had a few scars littering his exposed skin. He and Chiron seemed to be catching up. “Rose, please have a seat,”  Chiron said when I entered the doorway. He introduced me to the boy, Percy. Percy smiled politely at me, but I saw the exhaustion in his eyes.

           I looked behind me at Deven, but he motioned for me to sit as well. The chair was stiff and sunken in from use over the years. I felt like I had just walked into the principal’s office. I stayed silent and cast my eyes on the floor in front of me as the continued the conversation.

           “Has she been claimed yet?” Percy asked. Chiron and Annabeth shook their heads at his question. Deven then entered carrying something wrapped in a tattered cloth. The conversation that had been carrying on ceased almost immediately.

           Chiron’s voice was barely above a whisper as he asked, “Deven, are you sure?”

           “No, sir. I never got a good look at it. I’m only worried due to the stories I’ve heard from those that did have the curse of seeing it up close.” He answered solemnly.

           “Chiron, what are you two talking about?” Annabeth asked. Chiron asked Deven to explain.

           “This morning, I had found Rose wondering around the camp from being awoken from a nightmare. I knew that she would have her first training session today, so I thought it would be a good idea to get her weapon before then. We went to the weapons shed and had a look around. After a while, I realized it would probably be easier if she were to look for herself. I stepped outside the shed to give her some space, but when she came out, she was carrying this. I was worried and came to talk to you right away.” As he finished his story, he uncovered the blade he was carrying. The metal shone in the light and reflected onto the ceiling above me. I heard a gasp from the seat next to me and turned to see Annabeth shaking in Percy’s arms and hiding in the crook of his neck. She whispered in his ear and he nodded in agreement.

           “That,” Percy began, his voice quivering. He cleared his throat, “That is Backbiter, sir. Without a doubt.” His face did nothing to hide his concern and his fear.

           “Rose.” Chiron turned to me, “Where did you find this?” His voice was stern. He had a lot of anger and worry woven in between his words. Not towards me but, it seemed, towards the previous owner of the blade.

           “I just—I found it. In the corner of the shed. It was dusty and thrown in the corner and forgotten. It was the only thing that really caught my eye. I went to pick it up and it was warm to the touch and seemed to adjust its weight. Deven took it after that and said that we should come to talk to you.” I explained meekly. I felt like this was all my fault. I didn’t know why, but I was responsible for everyone’s distress. _Things were fine before you got here_ , I told myself. My eyes were cast back down to the floor.

I felt someone grab my hand. Annabeth had come out of her place in Percy’s neck and took my hand. She looked at me with watery eyes that seemed to understand my emotions. She silently told me that it wasn’t my fault. Things were getting uncomfortably quiet.

Chiron coughed and regained the attention. “When a sword changes its properties, it usually indicates choosing its fighter. You said it seemed to adjust itself to you?” I nodded.

“It is slightly shorter than I remember, sir.” Percy noted, “But are you sure about this?”

“If it has chosen her, we cannot stop it.” Chiron finalized and turned to me, “Many weapons with such history like this one have properties that allow it to be concealed easier. Many can turn into everyday objects. For instance, Percy’s can turn into a pen.” He motioned for Deven to hand the sword to me.

The hilt warmed against my hand again. I tried to focus on shrinking it. Or envisioning another object. An image of a ring popped into my mind, one that I hadn’t ever seen. I felt the hilt grow warmer and when I opened my eyes, it had become a ring, steel with a line of bronze around it. It fit my finger almost perfectly. I looked up in awe. They forced a smile, but I saw from the tight shoulders around the room they were still uneasy.

“You should probably head to breakfast,” Chiron said to the four of us, “And Percy? Welcome home.”

 

I waited outside the office door for Deven, sitting on the couch in the living room. Percy and Annabeth shook my hand and left holding each other close, whispering between themselves. I realized how much they must have been through. I also realized exactly how dependent I had become on someone I had practically just met as Deven walked through the door and closed it behind him.

He held out his hand to help me up, and there was this childlike intimacy to how he looked at me. Like he knew what I was thinking. I stood up, barely touching his hand before dropping it. We walked through the front door together, and the scent of strawberries and pine greeted us like old friends. We crossed the small water stream on our way to the mess hall and the silence was suffocating.

“Chiron wants,” he broke the quiet, “he wants me to tell you the history of the weapon around your finger.” His whisper portrayed just how this was hurting him. “He said that its important that you know its past and the trend of those had wielded it before you.” And so, the story began.

The sword had been forged in the beginnings of the world. It was initially used by Kronos to kill and dismember his father, Uranus. He was cursed to have the same thing happen to him by his own son. Zeus then used it to kill Kronos. It had been lost since then. A few years ago, a camper named Luke Castellan recovered it. Kronos had somehow convinced him to join the side against the gods. The camper had been used as a vessel by the Kronos. There was a war. Luke’s last action was to sacrifice himself with Kronos in order to end the war. Luke died a hero, but on the way, he had hurt many around him in order for him to see the truth of his actions.

“He was a hero.” His voice was barely a whisper now. “We thought the sword had been lost for good, but then you found it last night.” A tear forged its path over his cheekbones. The ring grew cold against my skin. I wanted to take it off and throw it into the ocean, but something told me that it wouldn’t stay there.

“I’m sorry,” I said. I reached up and wiped the tear from his eye. He leaned into my palm and shook his head.

“It isn’t your fault,” he replied, “I just hope you don’t continue the trend of its past.” He grabbed my hand that rested on his cheek. There was a sense of missing familiarity to having him hold my hand, to being this close to him. A comfort that I didn’t realize I had missed. He pulled our hands from his cheek, turned, and continued our previous trek to breakfast, pulling me along and not letting go of my hand.

Suddenly, I heard my name being called. “Rosie!” squeal-screamed Mia from behind us. Deven dropped my hand at the sound of her voice. I turned around and was knocked to the ground. She was giggling as I pushed her off me. She was wearing one of their camp t-shirts, the orange making her tan skin look even darker. And, like always, her hair was annoyingly perfect. She pulled both of us up and pulled me to her table.            Rapidly spouting off names, she introduced me to the rest of her smiling cabin, I mean, siblings. She had always wanted siblings, and now that she found them, she was over the moon. I was happy for her. Really, I was. But I got a pang in my chest missing my sisters. I remembered none of their names, but I turned to them anyway, “It was nice to meet you all,” I looked at Deven, who had at that time started to pull me along with him, “But I have to go. See you Later, Mia!”

He pulled me into the line that led to the food and fire. I grabbed my plate and watched as it filled with strawberry and crème crepes. I moved towards the fire behind Deven, when something caught my eye. White blond hair from behind the fire.

I looked up and saw what it truly was. A boy staring at me. It was the one from the party. Dylan. The one that disintegrated. The one _I_ disintegrated. My chest constricted. His nose began to bleed gold. I shook. My plate clattered to the floor. He smiled evilly. Menacingly. My knees buckled but I didn’t hit the floor. I heard Mia’s voice distantly trying to bring me back to reality. “Rosie. Ro. Focus on my voice. Are you okay?” Mia begged.

I focused. I gripped hard to reality. “Yeah,” I said, focusing back on her. When I looked back, he was gone. Wiping a tear from my cheeks, “I’m—I’m here. I’m back. I’m good.” I whispered. I quickly grabbed the plate that had fallen from my grasp and became aware of the eyes on me from every direction. I got up and assured the other to I was alright. Everyone went back to their meals, and their conversations. I walked to my place at the end of the Hermes table. They stopped to stare for a minute, but I just forced myself to eat even though I lost my appetite. I could hear my stepmother’s voice, chiding me to eat.

“If you don’t eat, you can’t do anything. You need the energy.” She would always tell me. I could feel the worried glances from a few people around the hall. When I finished, I stood up and walked away.

The two twins at the head of my table stopped me and introduced themselves as Travis and Connor. I thanked them and asked what the agenda was. They said up next was cabin inspection. We went back and tidied the cabin up. Soon, the twins led us to the arena to begin practicing sword fighting.

 

Everyone grabbed a sword and shield. Everyone that didn’t already have their own weapons, I guess. I stood back, I didn’t really want to deal with it right now. Sitting on one of the wooden benches with my hand holding my head, I twisted the ring around my finger anxiously as the rest of the cabin partnered up and began sparing.

The twins nodded at each other and headed towards me. Sitting on either side, they cornered me. I didn’t care. “So, we heard—” Travis began.

“That you found—” Connor continued.

Finishing the thought quietly, they whispered the name together, “Backbiter?”

I groaned and the sword grew in my hand as I threw my head back in annoyance. They scooted away from me. The blade became a ring around my finger once more and I hid in my hands and my elbows dug into my knees as I let everything around me sink in for the first time since arriving at the camp. Tears threatened to forge its way down my face. _I didn’t ask for this. It chose me. I’ve always been the new kid and now I have to add possible-villain to that list._

I pulled myself together. I couldn’t fall apart like this. I felt a hand rub circles on my back and I took a deep breath. I looked up and saw the twins looking concerned. “I’m okay. Just overwhelmed.” I assured them. They told me that I needed to work, nevertheless, and led me to an old, stuffed dummy.

I put everything I had into the exercises they told me to do. The sword cut holes deep into the dummy. Next Travis asked me to par with him. He went easy on me, allowing me to disarm him easily. He continued to up the difficulty and when I got stuck, I watched him carefully and looked for his patterns. I adapted. Soon, we were both wiped out.

I realized when we stopped, that some of the other pairs had begun to watch us. “Good job, Newbie,” Travis said. They dismissed us for free time. I began walking towards the lake, hoping to be alone for a little while today.

The shore was empty, which surprised me considering how packed the camp was. I let down my hair and took off my shoes. Taking a deep breath, I began running towards the dock. Reaching the edge of the dock, my feet leaped off the wood and I dove into the water.

The light fractured on the lake floor as I floated face down. The “dead man’s” float, my sisters used to call it. A flood of memories of dunking games and breath holding contests with them came back. A pang of nostalgia stung my heart.

The water rippled around me as a shadow pulled up next to me. I felt a tapping on my shoulder. I rolled over, floating on my back, and looked into the Deven’s steel-gray eyes. He laughed at my hair as it fanned out beneath me.

“Chiron wanted you, but it seems like you need new clothes, which reminds me that I forgot to get you some last night. Come on,” he held his hand to try and help me into the boat to row back. But I had other ideas. Smiling mischievously, I reached to grab it. As he went to reel me in, I pulled back, sending him flying into the water with me.

He came up from below the water and dunked me under the surface. I didn’t fight back, instead, going for his legs and dragging him under with me. We both came up and continued to splash each other until he lunged forward hugging me and pinning my arms to my sides. He took a deep breath and mumbled something about “missing this”. I pulled my arms out of his grasp and wrapped them around his waist.

As I began to get comfortable, nuzzling into his neck and breathing in the oh-so-familiar scent. Another flood of memories rushed behind my eyes and I became limp. Tears streaked there was down my cheeks as memories flashed behind my eyelids. The grip around me tightened.

A little boy in my memory offered a hand as we climbed up the side of a mountain. He splashed me with water in a lake much like this one. Next, he offered a popsicle and I could nearly taste it on my lips. The memories kept changing and suddenly it hit me. The blond that was carrying me onto the shore was the same one in the wire glasses that had an affinity for coffee popsicles and a Mario game and make-believe and science. That was why he seemed so familiar. His smile was more forced than before and his eyes had dimmed, but he was still the same little boy. How could I forget him?

I woke up with Deven hitting my cheeks softly. “You,” I said softly. He offered me a towel as he helped me sit up. He had a towel around his neck, too. The walk back was in silence as I contemplated what I had remembered. He told me to sit by the fire to dry as he ran to get me a change of clothes.

There was a girl pushing the coals around the fire. I made small talk with the girl and she nodded politely. I can’t remember what exactly I said, but it wasn’t of any importance. I told a dumb joke and the small girl laughed.

Deven came back, wearing dry clothes and offering me a pile for myself. I held it close to my chest. “We need to head to the Big House, you can change there,” he began walking away, pausing to motion for me to follow him. I sped up to walk next to him, grabbed his hand, and muttered, “Thank you.” He smiled at me with a sad look in his eye, but interlocked our fingers and continued to pull me along.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ConCrit is welcome. Please tell me what you think. I hope you guys like it.


	5. Chapter Five

Chapter Five

I exited the Big House bathroom, crying my hair with the now-damp towel and wearing a camp shirt that was far too big on me. It seemed to be one of Deven’s own shirts. I pulled my hair into a messy hastily and looked around the house for Chiron with the towel and my shoes in my hand. I eventually found him on the porch, playing Pinochle with Mr. D. I walked up quietly and sat next to Deven, not wanting to interrupt their game. He caught my eye, winked, and reached for my hand. A warm feeling spread through my chest and I felt my cheeks redden. I broke eye contact out of embarrassment. Chiron looked up as he set down his turn and saw me. “Ah! Ms. Waters. I just wanted to make sure that you got necessities taken care of. I see that you have been taken care of.” I blushed even more so. He didn’t seem to notice, but Deven’s hand tightened around mine and I heard him stifle a laugh.

“Was—Was that all, sir?” I asked. He nodded his affirmation. He placed his cards down triumphantly.

“Unless, you would like to play a hand, Ruth, I would suggest you get ready for the competition tonight. Ares vs Athena, correct” Mr. D put in.

I dropped Deven’s hand and left to find Mia. I need some of the annoying optimism she provided as well as a link to a life that seemed so far gone.

 

The game that night was uneventful, to say the least. And when we headed out to dinner, I was still so overwhelmed that I couldn’t eat. I dumped the food not the fire and prayed, _Please, whoever my father is, please. I just want to know who I am._

We went to the amphitheater and sang some weird songs again. The second time in less than a week. That should explain exactly how abnormal this really was. But we did s’mores, and you just don’t say no to s’mores.

As I watched the fire rise and fall and change colors, when a girl walked to the front. Annabeth rushed down, excited to see her again, with Percy following right behind her. As they began talking and the songs grew louder, and I finished my third s’more of the evening. Suddenly, everything fell silent. The fire was large and neon green. The girl had fainted and smoke came billowing out of her open mouth as the two of her friends lowered her slowly to the ground.

Her eyes opened, but they weren’t hers anymore. They were as green as the fire and began to glow. She unhinged her mouth and the words came from the smoke, chanting:

_“The decedent of two rivals_

_With love, death, and the forgotten child_

_Apart they fall, but together they stand_

_To find the receiver of the revival_

_And the place of the wrongly exiled_

_To bring the return_

_Of a missed companion_

_And save the lives_

_Of several champions_

_The fear of a fallen foundation_

_And the freedom of a grave creation”_

Everyone turned to the couple up front and Percy shouted, “No! Fuck no! It will not be me this time. I’m done. No more.” The black-haired boy stormed away from the fire angrily with Annabeth running after him trying to stop her laughter. Suddenly, they both stopped dead in their tracks, mouths gaping open. They were staring at me. Everyone was. I felt so small. I looked up and saw a sign, much like Mia’s. It was a bright, blue-green trident, but it began flickering, changing back and forth from the trident to a silver owl.

The leather-clad girl from yesterday groaned, “Not another one!” Deven was a few seats down, smiling reassuringly at me.

Chiron shouted above the crowds growing whispers, “Rose, I need to see you in my office. Now.” He began to walk to the Big House. I followed with my head bowed. I saw Annabeth and Percy begin following close behind Chiron as well, then I felt someone grab my hand, it was Deven. Mia ran up and grabbed my free hand. I finally felt like I wasn’t alone. We walked into the darkness together.

 

For the third time that day, I found myself sitting anxiously in front of Chiron. The sign had long since faded, but the nausea and the headache it brought were ever-present. I hadn’t been paying attention to the conversation. This isn’t possible, blah blah blah. Annabeth was silent for a while, then as she looked at me, she finally spoke up. “Chiron,” she turned to face him, “What if—what if it was the same kind of thing that happened with Daedalus’ nephew? With Athena’s blessing? What if one of her other parents were to be blessed along with the rest of their descendants, like Perdix. And she didn’t realize that Rose was the daughter of Poseidon?” she spoke so quickly and quietly, I was surprised that I could even keep up with her, let alone follow her thought process.

Chiron looked surprised but nodded his agreement, “That would be the most likely situation. Good job, Annabeth.” Percy was still looking at me in awe, and I fidgeted uncomfortably under his gaze.

“But, sir, what was the thing that the girl said? What did it mean?” I asked.

“I believe it means, that you are the hero from the prophecy. It means you have a quest to complete, but you must leave tomorrow. You may take up to two companions with you. Use tonight to ready yourself and rest.”

“I think it has something to do with the old labyrinth,” Annabeth stated.

“Then that is where you shall start,” Chiron told me. He wished me luck and shooed us out of his crowded office.

Annabeth and Percy went their separate ways, telling me they would be there to help me if needed. Before Percy left, he called me his little sister and told me he would see me back at our cabin. It was weird but he seemed excited.

The other three of us walked back to the cabins slowly and I thought about the prophecy aloud, “I must be one of the two rivals, Mia has to be love. Who could be death?”

“I think that might be me.” Deven stopped in his tracks. Mia and I turned questioningly. “My father is Apollo,” he began.

“But isn’t he the god of the sun and health?” I asked.

“He’s also the god of plagues, something rarely passed to his children. I am one of the ‘lucky’ few to have this ability. I can infect people with people with diseases and plagues, which is why I’m not often seen with my siblings in the medical tent.”

I reached for his hand, but he stepped back, out of my reach. I felt a stab at my heart as he said goodnight and went to his cabin to prepare for tomorrow. Mia sensed my heartache and hugged me as tight as she could. She, soon, also said goodnight and went to prepare for the next day.

 

I walked up to my new residence after grabbing my stuff from the Hermes cabin. I took a deep breath and I pushed open the door. The cabin was painted blue, with detailed paintings that looked like it was really immersed in water. The lights from the cabin ceiling reflected off some tiled scales of sea creatures, making little images of the fish project onto the floor. Sitting on a bunk towards the back were the three friends: Annabeth, Percy, and the girl from the fire.

There weren’t too many bunks like with the other cabins, and only two were taken. I chose a top bunk, close to the fountain in the back, with a window right above it.

Percy welcomed me with excitement, introducing me to Rachel, the redheaded girl from the fire. He told me of another child of Poseidon, Tyson, who wouldn’t be coming to camp until later this summer. “He will be even more excited than Percy is to meet you, trust me,” Annabeth whispered into my ear. I stayed quiet as Percy went on. Rachel and Annabeth noticed my silence and hushed Percy. He only listened as Annabeth scolded him, “Shut up, Seaweed Brain!”

When asked what was wrong, I almost broke down again. I asked meekly for advice. “You guys have been on quests, right?” They looked down, no doubt reliving painful memories.

“Don’t fight the prophecy,” Percy finally said, “Listen to your instincts. Trust your friends. Know you can’t prepare for everything or change anything. And whatever you do, don’t let your fear overwhelm you.” It was very quiet for a few moments.

“Thank you,” I told him. The two girls noticed the time and said their goodnights, wishing me luck.

As I readied to go to sleep, I spoke suddenly to the near-empty cabin, “Percy?” He hummed his attention. I sat up from my bunk as sat crisscross. “What if I’m already overwhelmed? I mean, I’ve only known about my history for about a day! What if it goes wrong? What if I’m not the one from the prophecy? What if I get my friends hurt? What if—”

“That would be what you need to look out for. You can’t think like that. Letting your fear rule you allows for mistakes. We make mistakes easily when we’re nervous. I understand how you feel, it was the same way for me when I first got here. The gods can never seem to deal with things themselves and it's especially hard for kids of the big three, like us.” He said lying on his bottom bunk with his arm slung over his eyes. He seemed tired. I let the subject drop with only an apology and a quiet thank you.

When his snores filled the cabin, I let myself cry and I packed for the next day. I only had a few shirts that Mia had shoved into my arms earlier that day. I had my phone that the Hephaestus cabin revamped, and I had my ring around my finger. I packed the dog-tags my dad gave me to hold onto that always brought me some small comfort and my lucky bracelet. Setting my things at the end of my bed, I packed the rest of my thing into the chest at the end of my bunk and forced myself to drift into sleep. Except I only drifted back into the nightmares.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

           _I’m hiding. I don’t know where or why, but I know its necessary. My jeans are ripped, and my shirt is in shreds, barely able to be called a shirt. My lungs feel like they are filled with water. There is someone lying at my feet. They aren’t moving. It’s all my fault. I don’t know what I did. It is all my fault. There are footsteps coming up behind me. My ring quickly transforms as I turn and put the blade to the offender’s throat. I see a glimpse of silver and a chilling smile._

I woke up to my sheets stick with sweat. I looked at the clock and noted that I lasted longer this time. I wiped the sweat and tears from my face and I jumped down from my bunk. I pulled the sheets up, my shoes on and checked my bag. I left, running back towards the lake and flung my shoes off before I ran off the edge of the dock again. I started swimming in circles and one of the lake-girls came up to me. A few followed her.

I think they sensed my distress, so instead, they offered my comfort. They gathered around, talking to me like my sisters would, braided my hair, kissed my forehead as a sign of solidarity, offered me shells and lost things from long lost campers. They insisted I take the coins from them and showed me a cave under the water. I explored with them for a little while. I felt so much better, just being around people that do not expect anything from me but still see me as me. They were kind and laughed often. One noticed someone at the surface and pushed me up to see them.

I broke the surface as someone took their shoes off and sat by the docks, dangling their feet over the side. It was Mia. I swam up and pulled myself up next to her on the edge of the dock. “I put some more clothes in your chest for you. For when we get back.” She said. “Are you doing okay?”

“I’m just nervous. And overwhelmed. Two days ago, I was able to fade into the background. Now, no matter what happens, people seem to recoil in fear.” I twisted the ring on my finger as I exposed my feelings to her.

“I heard about what happened yesterday morning. These kids sure do like their rumors.” She said, “Can I see it?” I focused on the ring and it grew into a sword, heavy and warm in my hand. She seemed transfixed by it. “It’s beautiful.”

“They’re worried I’m going to follow in the footsteps of its previous owners and become evil.”

“Knowing you, I don’t think you will,” she stated factually. “You may be ambitious, but you also understand your own morals and no amount of pretty words will change them.” I smiled at her. “Though, it doesn’t seem half as cursed as the rest of the cabin made it out to be.”

“Hey, don’t hurt its feelings!” I joked. “It has tried.” A moment of silence passed and then I spoke up, “Do you think Chiron and the rest of ‘em would be upset if I renamed it?” She looked at me confused. “Its name is ‘Backbiter’ and I feel like if I keep calling it that, then it will only keep its tainted reputation. It isn’t the blade’s fault that its previous users have used it to hurt others.”

She nodded in agreement, “So what do you think you should name it?”

“Opportunity.” The hilt grew warm as if in agreement.

“Are you really still upset over the Mars rover?” she teased. I pouted in response, but the name seemed to fit anyway. The blade shrunk back, and I slipped it unto my finger. She pulled me up and told me to go get ready.

I changed in the cabin and grabbed my things just as the sun began to peak over the horizon. I stepped out the door and decided that I should head to the arena. There’s no place better to release anger than to take it out with a sword on a straw dummy, right?

As I stepped through the arena’s doorway, I came face-to-face with the single person I did not want to see. I averted my eyes as the blond moved and tried to apologize. I walked past him quickly, my eyes still on the ground and threw my stuff on the bench next to my targeted dummy. I heard a sigh when the door shut. I looked to make sure he was gone. He was. I release the breath that I held in my throat and started on the dummy.

I thought of the lies I was told my entire life. I thought of the memories blocked from me for so long. I thought of the expectations that came with my claiming, far above every other person at the camp. I thought of the feeling of missing my family, of the guilt of dragging my best friend into the line of fire, of Deven beginning to distance himself. I thought of this stupid quest.

I drowned out reality and focused on throwing all my emotions onto this dummy. The hits became harder, faster, more precise, more focused. I didn’t hear the door open, nor my name being called, nor did I realize how tense I was. I was focused solely on the dummy until someone grabbed my shoulder to get my attention. Startled, I spun on the balls of my feet and held the blade to the throat of Mia.

I grasped at reality as I looked into the startled eyes of my friend. She slowly reached up to move the blade down and away from her as her hand went up to where my blade had just barely touched her throat. I tried to process my best friend standing there. My mind finally accepted reality and it dawned on me what I could’ve done. What I almost did. My arms fell to my sides as I moved backward, and the sword fell from my hand.

“Holy shit, Mia! I’m so sorry. Did I hurt you? Are you okay?” the words spilled past my lips as I continued to apologize.

“How did you do that? How did you get so good at that?” She asked, stepping forward.

I moved back, “I don’t know. It was just instinct. Are you okay?”

She nodded. We both took a breath. She cleared her throat and turned back to me, “Are you ready to go?” I nodded. I grabbed my bag and slung it over my shoulder. She handed me the sword I had tossed away from me. I put the ring back onto the proper finger and she grabbed my hand, pulling me forward and out of the building.

 

The sun had finished rising as we met but the junction between the forest, the lake, and the campgrounds. **_It isn’t too late to turn back. They have things under control. They don’t need you to be a burden or to hurt them,_** the voice of anxiety in my head told me. But it was too late. It had been too late for a while. Long before I had entered the camp. You could argue that it had always been too late.

We talked over the plan again. Deven led the way to the old entrance to the fallen maze. It was now just a pile of the boulders. Mia and I stood back as Deven walked in circles, inspecting the large rocks. He pressed on a few of them, almost as if looking for some buttons, eventually standing back, smiling triumphantly, and pressed on the flat rock that he stood above. A door opened in the pile of boulders. He took off his bag and rummaged through it. He pulled out a ball of light brown yarn. Not yarn, I decided as I looked at it more carefully, it was twine.

He zipped his pack back up and threw it back over his shoulder. “Ladies first,” he gestured dramatically the entrance. I rolled my eyes as I looked over to Mia. She stepped forward and he grabbed my arm. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly, “I just don’t want to hurt you.” I pulled away, fed up with getting that line handed to me by boys that were just trying to reject me softly. I crossed the entrance, leading the others.

It was dark, the only light being a red-orange hue emitting from the ceiling overhead and the open door behind me. I fell. I hit the floor and tumbled forward. “Watch out!” I yelled upwards, “There’s a drop.” I listened as the other two jumped down and Mia groaned in the darkness. I found the wall.

“Rose?” Someone called from the nothingness.

“Over here,” I called.

Someone bumped into me. “Rose?” Deven whispered as he gripped my shoulders.

“Where’s Mia?” I asked.

“Let’s find her.” He gripped my hand and my fear trumped over my frustration with other people. We yelled her name.

Finally, we heard a mumble, “’m over here.” I pulled Deven and watched my steps carefully as we walked towards her cries. She had landed on her ankle, twisting it badly. Deven sat next to me as he pulled his pack off his shoulders.

“Do you have an ace bandage?” I asked. He pulled on from his pack and handed it to me. He didn’t want to touch her very much. He looked worried. “Shouldn’t you be the medic here?” I joked, dryly.

He looked upset and whispered, “I don’t have the training my siblings do. They were worried about… another accident happening.”

“Well luckily, I do. Not as much, probably, but enough to get by.” I retorted, still trying to lighten the mood. I quickly bandaged her ankle with as much support as I could. He fed her a small portion of what looked like a lemon bar. She stood up, tested her weight on her ankle, and nodded to us that it was alright.

Around us, four walls closed us in. Several openings led the way out. “Which way do we go?” Mia asked.

I held her hand in one of mine, and Deven’s in the other. The ring was warm on my skin. My bag weighed down my shoulders. I wasn’t going to lose the only things I had left, especially the only family I had left. Not anytime soon. “This way.” I took the lead.

This, this right here. This was the beginning. This moment we stepped out of the first room. This moment that we passed the entrance of the ancient labyrinth. The moment we began our quest. It was the moment our destinies were decided, our fates were sealed. It was the point of no return.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment! Also, did you catch that reference?


	7. Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

           In your life, you will often meet people that you dislike. Many people in this world are assholes. The one solace from this are those rare people that have the purest hearts. They love everything and nearly everyone. Often, the assholes will take advantage of them which just means that the people like us need to help them. The three people on this quest with me fit into this category, but one is above others in this aspect.

No, I did not miscount my companions, the last one, “the forgotten child”, she isn’t very old. She was maybe seven years old when we found her. Ebony. We found her a little while after we left the room we entered from.

After we left the room, we realized just how broken and crumbling the walls around us were. So broken down, in fact, that we kept wondering into places outside of the maze. This wasn’t in our favor at all, as it caused us to continuously backtrack each time that we wondered into places that we weren’t aiming to be in. An apartment in Manhattan. A gas station in the middle of nowhere in the desert. The stock room of an old Walmart. Backstage of a theater. Once through the front lawn of a ski resort. We stopped only once, sleeping in turns at a ranch house belonging to a son of Ares that was very kind, but insistent that we don’t touch his cattle. He made some pretty good barbeque, too.

The next day, after wandering through a few rundown movie theaters and abandoned grocery stores, we found ourselves in Hades’ throne room. He was not excited to see us, as we seemed to be interrupting his monthly count routines or something. He especially did not like me, as I was the child of one of the Big Three. I wonder if he hates his own children then. But, as Deven helped to check up on Mia’s ankle, I appealed for his help. He looked unconcerned with our quest. His insistence for us to leave was cut short as we heard a few giggles from the corner of the room.

The source was a small child. She darted around the corner and ran towards Hades. He suddenly smirked slightly as she hid behind his legs. Holding her finger to her lips. Persephone waltzed around the corner, a smile on her face as she pretended not to notice the giggles from the child and her husband. She turned, surprising the little girl, and sat her on her lap as she tried to calm her down by combing through her hair.

“Child, you must be silent! We have guests.” She chided playfully.

“Who is that?” Deven asked Hades.

“Nico and Charon found her. She was wandering around the lobby. She seemed fine, only to be hiding from the ‘monsters’. We believe her to possibly be the child of one of my _siblings._ ” he said, bitterly at the thought of the gods. I could understand that. It also explained his dislike of their children, too.

“Hello,” I cooed at the child. She seemed intrigued by the three of us. Hoping off Persephone’s lap, she came up to me and I kneeled to look her in the eye and held my hand up in a little wave, “And what would your name be, sweetheart?”

“Ebony,” she said shyly.

I shook her hand, “Hi Ebony. My name is Rose.” She took my hand and inspected it for a second.

She looked up confused, “You aren’t dead,” she stated.

“Nope. Still alive,” I shook my head.

Her smile grew and she spouted off questions about her brother Nico and if I had seen him or if I had seen Will or some other names I didn’t catch. Deven laughed in the back at my confusion. I turned to glare at him and noticed the surprise on the gods’ faces in front of us.

Ebony was busy picking at my hair as I questioned, “Why do you seem surprised?”

“She doesn’t talk very much to many people. She’s usually pretty shy. She only talks to us, Nico, and Hazel mostly.” Persephone answered.

 _I wouldn’t either. Everyone else is dead or is a lower titan._ I thought as I looked around. “I know you said you couldn’t help us much, but do you have any idea where we should be heading next? Or what the prophecy might mean?” I asked Hades.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head, “Not really. The only thing that sounds close to what you need to do is to find someone that should be dead but isn’t. A soul that got away. That shouldn’t be too hard, seeing as that often happens in wartime. Someone that was very important to the camp and is only presumed dead.”

Deven looked surprised. He whispered a name under his breath that I couldn’t quite catch. “Thank you, sir. And, if I may say so before we take our leave, you two should be held as an example to the rest of the gods for taking responsibility for someone that wasn’t yours,” I nodded towards the little girl that had hopped back onto the goddess’ lap, “you didn’t just drop her off at an orphanage or at the camp, but took her into your care. I really admire and thank you both for that.” I told them. They nodded politely in response. I helped Mia up and grabbed onto my companion’s hands as we headed back to the exit.

As we entered the Labyrinth, there was a feeling of being watched prickling in my gut. It wasn’t just a feeling and I now regret not heeding Percy’s advice and listening to my gut.


End file.
